Quote Hays Auto Insurance Prices With These Methods

Finding lower premiums on Hays auto insurance is challenging for consumers not familiar with buying insurance online. People have so many options that it can easily become more work than you anticipated to find lower rates in Hays.

Finding the cheapest protection in Hays is not that difficult. Basically, every vehicle owner who has to buy auto insurance will be able to reduce their rates. Nevertheless, Kansas vehicle owners do need to know how big insurance companies sell online and use this information to your advantage.

What determines how much you pay?

Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that help determine auto insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates allows you to make educated decisions that will entitle you to lower auto insurance prices.

  • Occupation reflects on rates - Did you know your auto insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Careers like lawyers, architects and stock brokers tend to pay the highest rates due to job stress and lengthy work days. On the other hand, professions such as farmers, students and performers have the lowest average rates.
  • Optional equipment can affect rates - Driving a car with a theft deterrent system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention features like GM's OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers all hinder your car from being stolen.
  • Women pay lower rates - The statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, this does not mean women are better drivers. Women and men tend to get into accidents in similar percentages, but the men have costlier accidents. Men also statistically get cited for more serious violations like reckless driving and DUI. Male drivers age 16 to 19 are the most expensive to insure and are penalized with high auto insurance rates.
  • Better credit means lower rates - Having a bad credit history is a big factor in your rate calculation. So if your credit is not that good, you could save money insuring your by improving your rating. Drivers with good credit tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers with lower credit scores.
  • High crash test scores lower rates - Cars with high safety ratings are cheaper to insure. The safest vehicles result in less severe injuries and better occupant protection translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims passed on to you as lower rates.
  • Traffic citations inflate rates - A bad driving record has a big impact on rates. Even one moving violation can increase rates by as much as thirty percent. Good drivers get better rates compared to drivers with tickets. If you have flagrant violations like DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may find they need to file a SR-22 with the DMV in their state in order to keep their license.
  • Policy add-ons can waste money - There are a ton of extra bells and whistles that can waste your money if you aren't careful. Things like roadside assistance, accident forgiveness and motor club memberships are examples of these. They may seem good initially, but if you don't need them remove them from your policy.

Take advantage of discounts

Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but there are discounts available that you may not know about. A few discounts will automatically apply when you purchase, but lesser-known reductions have to be requested specifically before being credited.

  • Accident Free - Claim-free drivers can save substantially when compared to accident-prone drivers.
  • Payment Method - If you pay your bill all at once instead of making monthly payments you can actually save on your bill.
  • One Accident Forgiven - Some insurance companies allow you one accident before hitting you with a surcharge if your claims history is clear prior to the accident.
  • Passive Restraints - Cars that have air bags can receive discounts of up to 25% or more.
  • Military Rewards - Having a deployed family member may qualify for rate reductions.
  • Driver Safety - Completing a course teaching defensive driving skills could save 5% or more if your company offers it.
  • Low Mileage Discounts - Fewer annual miles can earn lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
  • Discount for Life Insurance - Larger companies have a break if you buy a life insurance policy as well.

Consumers should know that most credits do not apply to the entire cost. Most cut specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. So when it seems like it's possible to get free car insurance, companies don't profit that way. Any qualifying discounts will help reduce your overall premium however.

To choose insurance companies who offer auto insurance discounts in Kansas, follow this link.

Are auto insurance companies telling the truth?

Auto insurance providers like Progressive, Allstate and GEICO continually stream ads on TV and radio. They all say the same thing of big savings after switching to them. But how can every company say the same thing? It's all in the numbers.

All companies can use profiling for the type of driver that makes them money. For example, a driver they prefer might be profiled as between 30 and 50, has no tickets, and has a high credit rating. A propective insured who fits that profile gets the lowest rates and most likely will save a lot of money.

Consumers who don't qualify for this ideal profile will be quoted higher prices which usually ends up with business not being written. The ads say "customers who switch" not "people who quote" save money. That's why insurance companies can confidently state the savings.

This emphasizes why you should quote coverage with many companies. It's not possible to predict the company that will have the lowest rates.

Additional auto insurance information can be found on the Kansas Insurance Department website found here. Kansas drivers can read industry bulletins, view a list of available companies, and learn about insurance regulations.

Other informative sites include this online resource for auto insurance quotes in Kansas and this list of insurance agents in Hays.

compare Hays auto insurance rates

Do the work, save more money

Consumers change insurance companies for a variety of reasons including high rates after DUI convictions, unfair underwriting practices, denial of a claim or even poor customer service. No matter why you want to switch, finding a new auto insurance company is easier than you think.

Cost effective auto insurance can be sourced on the web and with local Hays insurance agents, so compare prices from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance companies do not offer online price quotes and these regional insurance providers work with independent agents.

In this article, we covered a lot of tips how to save on auto insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more price quotes you have, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. Drivers may discover the best prices are with some of the smallest insurance companies.